Girl Learns Strangers Donated Over $500K to Repair Her Dwelling, Then Requested ‘Why?’

• Spencer B. of SB Mowing carried out garden care work on an aged girl’s property without spending a dime after she confronted a $240 wonderful from town
• As his footage of his work on Beth’s property went viral, Spencer began a GoFundMe to boost cash to repair the girl’s accessibility points at dwelling — and now tons of of hundreds of {dollars} has been raised on her behalf
• “I used to be extraordinarily stunned,” Spencer tells PEOPLE, including that the candy messages they’ve gotten by way of GoFundMe have left Beth “teary-eyed”

When Spencer B., the proprietor of a Wichita, Kansas, garden care firm, first arrived at an aged girl’s property to do a job final summer time, he was amazed upon seeing the dimensions of her overgrown garden. 

“Beth’s garden was simply loopy,” Spencer, 26, who declined to provide his final title, tells PEOPLE, including that the girl, who has “some accessibility points,” had “slightly little bit of a tough time getting round.”

“There have been weeds rising up by way of her deck proper out of her door and proper down on the entrance of her stairs and to the place she’s principally having to stroll by way of all this loopy overgrowth simply to get to her automobile,” he explains. “And so I advised her that I would just love to wash up without spending a dime for her.”

Spencer’s gesture in direction of Beth didn’t cease from there. A self-described “garden care and strain washing social media influencer,” he shared video footage of his work on Beth’s property and the girl’s heartfelt response on TikTok, which went viral and garnered over 94 million views. He then began a GoFundMe earlier this week for the girl to assist repair a few of the accessibility points round her dwelling. As of Friday, Jan. 17, the fundraiser has generated over $800,000. 

“I used to be extraordinarily stunned,” Spencer, who runs SB Mowing, tells PEOPLE. “My spouse and I had been pondering we might elevate perhaps between $50,000 to $100,000 max.”

Spencer and Beth’s worlds collided when a good friend reached out to Spencer a couple of girl who wanted assist trimming her garden. In keeping with Spencer, town required Beth — whom PEOPLE has tried to achieve out to — to both reduce her garden or she must pay a $240 wonderful, which she couldn’t afford.

As documented within the now-video he later posted on TikTok, Beth apologized for the property’s look and advised Spencer she spent over a month searching for somebody to assist.

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The work on Beth’s property took Spencer about 8-9 hours to finish by himself.

“I obtained it wanting truthfully higher than it is ever appeared,” Spencer tells PEOPLE. “And he or she was simply completely stoked and simply so excited to have this new model new wanting garden that she hasn’t had for a very very long time since she’s type of misplaced her or began to have her accessibility points.,,It’s extremely onerous work, nevertheless it’s actually fulfilling”

Upon the job he did on her property, Beth — who could also be both 79 or 80 and lives by herself, in response to Spencer — could possibly be heard within the video thanking him and saying, “Your work makes me twinkle.”

Opening up about why he determined to share the clip on social media, Spencer says that Beth is the type of particular person you possibly can’t assist however love — and wish to assist in any means doable. And as soon as he posted the video on YouTube, he says he “obtained numerous messages” from individuals suggesting he arrange a GoFundMe so they may assist her too.

Spencer then posted a follow-up TikTok by which he could be seen telling Beth that the GoFundMe raised $500,000, an quantity they’ve now far surpassed. Within the video, she appeared emotionally moved and requested, “Why?”

Talking with PEOPLE, Spencer says that he is gotten “numerous messages” from individuals in response to that video — and that each one the messages say some model of, “Beth, you are asking why, however we’re simply saying that we love you and also you’re an amazing particular person. We wished to do that for you.”

And, he says that after studying these messages to her, “it actually made her teary-eyed.”

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As for the cash itself, Spencer says he hopes it may be used to make Beth’s dwelling extra accessible, making it doable to put in a ramp for her door and a chairlift so she will entry her washer and dryer downstairs.

He additionally hopes to have the ability to pay an organization to keep up her garden for the following a number of years.

Though because of the generosity of hundreds of people, Spencer says Beth may presumably renovate her dwelling, or, if she chooses, discover a new place to stay in a retirement group.

“I’ve at all times been very cautious with giving individuals cash as a result of I do know lots of people work very onerous to make that cash and donate it,” he says, “And so I wish to be sure that it is put to good use.”

“I have been speaking with an property legal professional, and we’ll arrange a belief for Beth to be sure that, primary, nobody’s going to benefit from her. No household is available in and tries to benefit from her now that she has that type of cash. And two, I wish to be sure that it is not spent on one thing that should not be spent on,” he provides.

For Spencer, the expertise of serving to Beth and seeing the viral response to his TikToks and GoFundMe have been surreal. His takeaway from all of that is simply get out and assist your neighbors “since you by no means know who’s residing round you…Do as a lot as you possibly can to go assist individuals. If all of us do, then it goes an extended methods.”